9/22: Candidate Forum: SC Senator Sandy Senn/Sam Skardon

September 22, 2020:

Election season is in high gear and we hosted a pair of local candidates to tell us their views on key issues. Incumbent Sandy Senn and her opponent Sam Skardon we held to the fire and gave us their best pitches for why they should be our State Senator representing District 41 come November.

This week the Rotary Club of Historic Charleston hosted a Candidate’s Forum. Sandy Senn, SC Senator representing District 41, and her opponent Sam Skardon spoke about the challenges that need to be addressed for the district and our region and took several questions submitted by our members.

In his opening statement, Sam recalled how the first time he visited our club, Darren Goss with the Coastal Community Foundation spoke. Mr. Goss presented an economic “heat map” that showed that people born into extreme poverty in SC were less likely to climb to higher income levels than anywhere in the country. One of the main causes of this is a failed public education system. Sam attended Charleston County schools and has seen firsthand the issues and challenges in our local district and statewide.

Sandy is completing her first term and joined via Zoom because she needed to be present for an upcoming vote at the Statehouse. Her focus in that term has been flooding and infrastructure. She chairs the Countywide Intergovernmental Flooding Task Force which brings together all government entities to address problems throughout whole neighborhoods, even where they may cross jurisdictions. This has been very successful in addressing issues in the District. Sandy also ran in 2016 on her support of the completion of I-526 which she helped push it through. She is a proponent of Career and Technology Education (CTE) for students who choose to learn skills and trades while completing their high school education. In her legal practice she is an advocate for first responders and continues to be one. Sandy is also a strong proponent of conservation and protecting our environment.

Questions were posed to the candidates on closing the wage gap for women, expanded voting by mail and absentee voting, ensuring Charleston County receives equitable treatment in Covid response funding, investing in education, and other issues facing South Carolina.

There was also a “lightning round” of yes or no questions. Both said they would support completing I-526. The second round of questions brought up the topic of Medicaid Expansion in SC, which Sam supports. Sandy stated that she is in favor of emergency measures to help those who are unemployed or underemployed during the pandemic. She is also in favor of adjusting the thresholds of eligibility to help those workers who are in the $20,000 to $22,000 range who are not currently eligible. But she does not support full expansion of Medicaid. Sandy was asked about rapid testing for Covid 19 which she supports. Sam was asked about his position on offshore drilling and said he is totally opposed, and he is proud of his endorsement from Representative Joe Cunningham who led the fight against offshore drilling.

In her closing statement, Sandy stated that although she supports term limits, she feels she still has work that she can accomplish in the next four years. She said when she came into office, she considered herself a conservative, but in the Statehouse, she is a moderate. She strives to remain conservative on fiscal issues and try and keep from going down the social issues “rabbit holes” where debates tend to go in Columbia. Sam brought up that 46 years ago a politician came before this club to ask for support, Joseph P. Riley. His vision for Charleston was amazing and he was a force for change and progress in our community. Sam wants to share a vision for progress for South Carolina and bring a unique progressive voice to the Statehouse

To access a recording of this meeting go here. Passcode: P=7lhp47

Submitted by Jeff Webb, Keyway Committee

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS

- - Tom Leonard gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
  - Robert Sullivan welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.
  - President Lisa presented Health and Happiness.
  - Karl Brady and Rob Byko introduce our program and served as moderators for the candidate forum – SC Senator Sandy Senn, joining us on ZOOM and Sam Skardon, joining us in-person. Both are candidates for SC Senate District 41.

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

September 29, 2020 | Issue 4979| President: Lisa Van Bergen

UPCOMING EVENTS

- Sept. 29 – Bishop Robert Guglielmone
- October 6 – Coach Earl Grant, College of Charleston Basketball
- October 13 – (ZOOM MTG) Steve Slifer, “Covid-19 – What happened? What’s next?”
- October 15 – Social @ Bay Street Biergarten
- October 20 –Dr. Jacob Mintzner, Roper, Alzheimer’s Research (Mary Peters)
- October 27 – Candidate Forum US Rep Joe Cunningham vs. Nancy Mac

NEWS BRIEFS

IMPORTANT Meeting Update – In-Person Meetings Started Sept. 15

We are excited to announce that while we will continue to offer our Rotary Meetings by Zoom well into the foreseeable future, we have begun meeting IN PERSON starting September 15, but with a few alterations to the way we have met in the past (see below). We hope that this will be welcome news for a majority of you.

Important Note: Attendance requirements for attending the Rotary Club of Charleston luncheon have been waived. Attending the Rotary Club of Charleston Luncheon is voluntary and members/guests are invited to join us in-person or virtually on ZOOM. Anyone who is “at risk” for COVID-19 is encouraged to stay at home

A RSVP is required for those attending in person, as we have a cap of 70 people for our in-person meetings for the time being. The deadline for RSVPs was this past Thursday, Sept. 24. Reservations for this meeting are now closed. We will also offer the meeting on Zoom and that link will be included in the weekly Keyway email.

The following guidelines have been established for our in-person meetings that comply with state and local regulations for events:

ENTERING MEETING/REGISTRATION

Attendance is at your own risk and only those who are healthy are encouraged to attend
Wearing masks upon entering is optional
Entrance doors will be open
Marks on floor every 6 feet to registration table
Registration table located inside room past “lounge area”
Rotarians/Visitors/Guests wait in line to be signed in by Sergeant-At-Arms Committee
- Temperature will be taken at door and anyone with a 100.4 or higher will not be permitted in the meeting.
- Anyone entering the meeting (members/guests/speakers/venue staff) will be expected to sign a COVID waiver. The COVID waiver will be emailed to club members and venue prior to our first several in-person meetings for review. Members can certainly share with guests.
Sergeant-At-Arms committee will be wearing masks & gloves
No badges
No raffle
Hand sanitizer located at registration and in various locations in the room

SEATING

Lunch will be plated and served as Rotarians arrive at their tables – no buffet or drink station
Rotarians/Visitors/Guests will be encouraged to find a seat after being registered. Try to fill tables from the far wall (near the kitchen) outward to eliminate some of the brushing up against others while finding a seat
Tables & seats will be appropriately spaced to allow for social distancing
Hand sanitizer will be at each table

HEAD TABLE

1 Head table with 2 seats – speaker and speaker introducer
Podium with table mic (wipes available on podium)

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS/VISITORS

No passing of handheld mic/members will stand-up and introduce guests without use of mic

RSVP REQUIRED TO ATTEND MEETINGS

Members/Visitors/Guests planning to attend weekly meetings will be required to RSVP through Evite to let us know if you are planning to attend as we are limited to 70 people at this time
Any dietary restrictions need to be noted on the RSVP

ZOOM / RECORDINGS

Meetings will continue to be available on Zoom and a recording will also be emailed out after the meeting for those not comfortable attending in person

We will continue to monitor the situation and any changing state and local ordinances to assure we are keeping the safety of all as our highest priority. Because we are continuing to Zoom the meetings, we hope that those who are not yet comfortable attending in person will continue to log in by Zoom from the comfort of your home. No yummy lunch by Hall’s or the in-person camaraderie of your fellow Rotarians, but it is the next best thing to stay engaged and be connected to your Rotary family. And as we know, the impact of Rotary is felt through our volunteerism and support of one another and the community, especially during trying times.

Important COVID-19 Message from the District

As we go back to attending meetings in person, we wanted to again share the below from the District. Members are asked to keep this in mind.

It has come to my attention that we need to set some ground rules for dealing with Rotarians who contract COVID-19 and how we deal with this in our clubs. First, for the Rotarians themselves. We MUST maintain absolute confidentiality for ANYONE who tests positive for COVID-19 unless they give us permission to share their information. That said, we MUST also ask, even require, that any Rotarian who has been to an in-person Rotary meeting or other function and later suspects they have COVID-19 report this to their Club President as soon as possible. This could be due to being in close contact with a person who tests positive or that they show symptoms. And, they absolutely must let the Club President know immediately if they test positive. Then, keeping confidentiality, the Club President MUST let all who attended that event know that there was someone at the event or meeting who came down with symptoms or tested positive. This will, at least, give all those notified the option of being tested immediately. And, it gives them warning that maybe they should limit their contact with others until it is proven that they are not infected.

Sunglasses Found at Faber on 9/22

Black sunglasses were left at our meeting this past Tuesday at 5 Faber. They were found on the long dining table closest to the kitchen doors. Carroll has them with her. If they belong to you, Carroll will have them with her this Tuesday or can arrange to meet you somewhere to drop them off.

Social at Bay Street Biergarten in October

Mark your calendars now to attend a club social on Thursday, October 15^th from 5pm-6:30pm at the Bay Street Biergarten. This will be a fun outdoor event and a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your Rotary friends.

Volunteer for Day of Caring

Please consider volunteering for this year’s “Virtual Day of Caring” for Trident United Way on Friday, November 20, 2020. Our focus this year will be Virtual Student Career Conferences for middle and high school students. They’re asking for your help with these students to share information on your company, your career, and your unique career journey. If you’d like to volunteer or would like more information, please contact our Community Service Director, Virginia Lee at [email protected]

July Dues Now Past Due

If you haven’t already, please be sure to pay your July-December 2020 dues. Statements were distributed via email the last of June and are now considered past due. As a reminder to those with an outstanding balance, a statement was emailed this past week. Please note that we have expanded our payment options and you now have the ability to pay via ACH and PayPal. Also of note, a 3% convenience fee is added to all credit card dues payments.

The below policy was approved by the Board this past Spring and went into effect on July 1, 2020. Our club’s operating budget depends on members paying their dues as we incur various expenses based on our membership count and we cannot continue to pay for Rotarians, who do not fulfill their commitment of paying semi-annual dues.

Failure to Pay Dues Policy (effective 7/1/20)
“Any Rotary member with dues past 90 days must either pay in full or develop a payment plan, which includes making a minimal payment. If this is not in place by 120 days, then membership in Rotary will be terminated. If a member wishes to return, they must pay all outstanding dues prior to resubmitting an application.”

Another IMPORTANT change …. When we start meeting in-person in September, meal fees will increase to $30 for both excused members and guests. We will also ask that meal fees (Excused & guests) be paid at the door. We will no longer bill.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s

This year, the Charleston Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, on November 7th, is everywhere — on every sidewalk and bridge, the beach, downtown, in parks and anywhere your team chooses to walk. Your team can be one person or 200 and you can walk together or separate. Although the world may look a little different right now, one thing hasn’t changed: our commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s.

The 2020 Charleston Walk to End Alzheimer’s won’t be a large in-person gathering this year — instead, we invite you to walk wherever you like in small teams of friends and family while others in your community do the same. We want the Greater Charleston area to be covered in purple on November 7th!

There are a couple of ways we invite you to participate. Create a team and walk with us to support the cause or be a Sponsor.

How to participate:
1. Register for the Charleston Walk.
Sign up as a Team Captain, team member or individual. It doesn’t matter where you live you can sign up for the Charleston walk and walk where you are that day.

http://act.alz.org/charlestonwalk
2. Start fundraising and spread the word.
We’ll provide tips and coaching every step of the way, including easy ways to raise funds online and at home.
3. Join us on Walk day which is November 7th – everywhere.
Take part in an interactive online experience, walk in your community and visit the planted Promise Garden, which is view only.

Alzheimer’s isn’t waiting. Neither are you.
No matter where you are, you can walk.

http://act.alz.org/charlestonwalk

Official Rotary Club of Charleston Statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support

The Rotary Club of Charleston Board of Directors has adopted an official statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support in light of the recent unrest in our community and across the nation and the world. Rotary International had adopted an official statement on June 1, and we felt it was important for our Rotary Club to take a stand to condemn racial injustice and also show support for our small businesses who were affected during the recent rioting. While this has been a very challenging year for our community and our members with this pandemic and the resulting economic effects, we feel hopeful that a shift is occurring for the pandemic that has plagued our country for 400 years. In both our words and our actions, we have a chance to be a part of changing our future to one that allows all of our citizens to have a chance to live up to their fullest potential. With all the amazing and transformative impact the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston has had on our community and milestones that we have celebrated throughout this 100th anniversary year, you can be proud to be a part of an organization that lives up to our vision of uniting to create lasting change in our world, our communities and in ourselves.

The statement in its entirety can be found on the lead page of our club’s website.

Club/District Emails

As a Rotarian and a member in District 7770, you are receiving emails from our club and the District. Both the club and the District try to minimize the number of emails being sent, but in today’s world of staying at home and no contact, emails are the main way to get information out and keep Rotarians connected. Please do not unsubscribe from District emails as this also effects your ability to receive club emails. If you unsubscribe from the District emails, then you are also unsubscribing from receiving club emails.

Contribute to The CART Fund On-Line

It is now easy to contribute and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has just rolled out a new portal www.mycartfund.org, which you can easily access. As a Rotarian and a DACdb user, you automatically have an account already set-up in your name. Your user name and password are the same as it is for the DACdb.

Our Club is on Social Media

Members are encouraged to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too! We also need members to send us picture of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc. We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be sent to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].

MEMBER NEWS

Proposed New Members

The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Denise Kaufman – sponsor: Past President Digit Matheny; classification: IT/Mgmt

Philip “Heath” Ward – sponsor: Past President Alissa Lietzow; classification: Law/Personal Injury

In the event you know Denise or Heath, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.

Best wishes for all of us to stay safe and continue to stay connected as we help those who are most vulnerable in our community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow Rotarians if we can help you in any way in the days and weeks to come!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

- Rotarian: Nick Wackym
  - JOINED: September 15, 2020
  - SPONSOR: Past President Alex Dallis
  - MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: New Member
  - CLASSIFICATION: Investigative Agency/Mgmt.
  - PROFESSION: Defense Contractor – overseas / whilst home – Private Investigator
  - SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: When not doing my thing as a “Contractor” overseas, my real passion is doing special ops advisor work in Africa. I’m part of a non-profit that teaches/advises game rangers in Africa how to combat animal poachers in Africa. I’ve worked the past 5 years in Mozambique and we’ve been able to really turn the tables on the poachers.

Birthdays

- Sept. 29 – Catherine Jones
- Oct. 3 – Doug Holmes & Stavros Triantafyllidis

By the numbers

- Attendance on September 22, 2020 (In Person and Zoom): 58
- Not in attendance: Baus, Bickley, Bini, Brack, Coe, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Coxe, Crain, Crouch, DeGraff, Dopp, Drafts, Echols, Finniff, Festa, Giles, Gill, Giovanniello, Goxhaj, Hanger, Holmes, Husser, Imam, Kaynard, Loredo, Lucy, Matheny, Miracle, Minson, Morelli, Morse, Oswalt, Patrick, Ravenel, Riley, Riner, Rust, Savage, Shahid, Smith, M., Smith, P., Smith, H., Staley, Stoney, Strickland, Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, Joseph, Teller, Walters, Westo
- Out of Town Make-ups: None

WELLNESS TIP

Consume less salt and sugar

Filipinos consume twice the recommended amount of sodium, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most people get their sodium through salt. Reduce your salt intake to 5g per day, equivalent to about one teaspoon. It’s easier to do this by limiting the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce and other high-sodium condiments when preparing meals; removing salt, seasonings and condiments from your meal table; avoiding salty snacks; and choosing low-sodium products.

On the other hand, consuming excessive amounts of sugars increases the risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. In both adults and children, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake. This is equivalent to 50g or about 12 teaspoons for an adult. WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits. You can reduce your sugar intake by limiting the consumption of sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages.

ARE CLUB MEETINGS

Mondays

Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville

Tuesdays

East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston
Goose Creek: 12:45 m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek

Wednesdays

Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
St. John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville

Thursdays

North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
St. Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.

Fridays

Charleston Breakfast: Currently meeting by Zoom. Contact [email protected] for log in information

SOCIAL MEDIA

Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.

We’re on Facebook. Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”.
We’re on Twitter. You can follow us @chasrotaryclub.
We’re on Instagram. You can follow us @ChasRotaryClub.

ABOUT THE KEYWAY

The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.

President: Lisa Van Bergen
Keyway editor: Don Baus [email protected]
Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]
Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029 ,Charleston, SC 29413-1029